Diving suit valve



March 26, 1939. E. TCPPER DIVING SUIT VALVE Filed Nov. 2, 1937 ivurf 75'jkez Patented Mar. 28, 1939 PATENT OFFICE DIVING SUIT VALVE ErnstTopper, Berlin-Neukolln, Germany, assignor of one-half to WilliamHamilton Martin,

London, England Application November 2, 1937, Serial No. 172,466

In Germany November 13, 1936 10 Claims.

The invention relates to valves for the exit of air fromdiving-suits.Hitherto some form of non-return valve, with access to it by hand fromthe outside, has been employed for the release of air from the interiorof the drivers helmet.

An object sought by the present invention is operability or adjustmentof the valve from within, whereby the hands are left free.

A further object is the minimising of risk of accidental operation ofthe valve from, for example, an external obstacle.

A further object is the provision of a valve which minimises the risk ofentry of water, especially if the suitbecomes partially exhausted as itmay if the wearer has tostoop down.

A further object is the provision of a valve which is readilycontrollable to meet various contingencies.

A further object is a valve so operable that, if the diver. isincapacitated, the valve will tend to set in a safe condition. y

Other objects and advantages may be apparent to the practical diver fromthe following description. There is described, and illustrateddiagrammatically, a Valve according to the invention, in relation to aconventional divers helmet.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the helmet.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the valve in one position.

Figure 3 is a like View in another position.

The helmet comprises the usual dome-like hollow metal shell I, withattachment flange 2 1n the region of the neck. In the shell I are: amain front window 3, side windows 4, and an upper central window 5, anyor all being protected or made in known manner, except in that the 7window 5 is so positioned in relation to the valve that the diver isenabled usually to see the stream of bubbles rising from his valve, thewindow 5 being above it.

The shell I has a frontal outwardly bulged part 6 to which is attached aU-sectioned protection and guide supporting structure 1 with ablindbored valve guide pocket 8 formed in a nut 9 screwed intostructure 1. The pocket 8 has a pressure-relieving duct III to avoidpressure locking therein. A valve-seat body II is attached to the part 6and presents two concentric axially spaced annular valve seats, theinner seat l2 and the outer seat l3. A valve stem l4 and an outer steml5 sliding in the guide pocket 8 carry an integral valve head I 6cooperating with the seat l2; the valve stem l4 moving in a mounting ofspider formation to permit free passage of air lengthwise of and beyondthe stem l4. Mounted around stem I5 is a flexible, preferably rubber,disc-like valve. ll to bearon seat [3. The valve I1 is capable ofconsiderable distortion in a saucer-like shapeas, can be seen bycontrasting Figures 2 and 3.

Within the shell I and, across the bulged part 6 are two projectingplates l8, carrying or forming slideways at l9 for a valve operatingslide made as follows. A medial inclined part 20 is slotted at 20A topass the valve-stem between .two stops MA, MB, thereon; and the part 20is integral with twin end parts each formed by a plunger 2l and aslider,22 (within I 9 and preferablyheld frictionally by a plate spring)the slides terminating in padded sidepieces 23. The sidepieces 23 form,ineifect, means whereby the diver can, by moving his; head, adjust orcontrol the air valvemeans. Theplun-gers 2| enter spring-housings 24 inwhich are compression springs 25 which co-operate with shoulders of thehousings 24 to prevent their extension (although they may be partlycompressed during assembly) 'beyond a position corresponding to the meanor neutral position of the valve operating slide, so that the slide, ifurged to right or left will always tend to be returned to neutral.

Figure 2 shows the valve completely shut, there then being the doubleclosure due to both heads bearing on both seats; Figure 3 shows theopposite extreme condition where the rigid head I6 is wide oif its seatI2, whilst the elastic head I! is touching its seat l3 and closed onlyby its own quite light resilience. The setting of the valve in orbetween these positions is achieved by moving the slide by the head ofthe diver, the inclined 1 part 20 thereof cooperating with the abutments14A, MB of the valve-stem M. It will be observed that these abutmentsare so spaced that they do not simultaneously contact with the part 20,so that, assuming the adjustment is not at one or other limit position(Figure 2 or 3) the valve element as a whole has a certain degree offreedom without accompanying movement of the slide. Thus it can operateas an ordinary resilient non-return escape Valve, dependent onpressure-differential between interior and exterior of the suit for itsoperation. It will be noted that the valve, being protected by thestructure l, is not susceptible to interference (which might bedangerous) from obstacles such as parts of a wreck, lifeline,'or otherfortuitous contact. Where it is said that the window 5 is above thevalve, it will be understood that this assumes, as will be normal, thatwhen the diver is in upright posture the window is above, and thebubbles from the valve in rising, will cross its field of view.

What I claim is:

1. An air escape means for a diving suit, comprising a valve memberhaving a first rigid head and a second resilient head, guiding means forsaid member, a valve seat for said rigid head, a valve seat for saidresilient head, and means interior to the diving suit for controllingthe position of said first head in respect of said first seat, said lastnamed means serving to vary the sealing pressure of the resilient headwith respect to its seat during all changes of the position of saidrigid head while at all times maintaining sealing cooperation of theresilient head and its seat in the absence of excessive suit pressure.

2. An air escape valve according to claim .1,;in which said valve membercomprises a valve-stem, a rigid head carried rigidly by said stem, and aflexible head carried by said stem, saidheads being axially spaced uponthe stem.

3. An air escape valve according to claim 1, comprisinga valvestem, a:rigid head mounted thereon, a flexible head .mountedon said stem andspaced axially from said rigid head, 'an inner valve seat to cooperatewith said rigid head, an outer valve :seatspaced axially from said innerseat tocooperate withsaid flexible head, guide means for. said stem, andmeans for adjustably moving said stem in said guide means'from withinthe diving suit.

4. In adiving suit an air escape valve with an internallyextending-stem, a valve-operating slide element, guide means for saidelement to guide it transversely to said stem, and an inclined partmoving with said elementwhereby sliding of said element cancontrol saidvalve.

5. Device according'to claim 4, wherein said element is adapted to beoperated by the divers head.

6. Device according to-claim 4, in which said element is spring-urged toa neutral position.

7. Device accordingto claim 4, in which a lost motion relationship isafiorded between said valve and said element, whereby said valve canoperate as an ordinary non-return valve, except when said element is inlimit positions.

8. An air escape valve of a diving suit helmet, comprising a valve stem,an inner rigid head mounted thereon rigidly, an outer flexible valvehead mounted on said stem, an inner fixed seat surrounding said stem toco-operate with said rigid head, an outer valve seat surrounding saidstem to co-operate with said resilient valve head, guiding means forsaid stem including a protective structure for said valve, abutmentsaxially spaced on an inward projection of said stem, a resilientlyneutralized slide within said helmet, an inclined part of said slideco-operating with said abutments to adjust .the position of said valvestem relative'to said seats.

9. In a diving suit, an air escape means including a rigid valve, a seatwith which the valve cooperates, a second valve, a seat with which thesecond valve cooperates, and a single valve stem carrying both valves,said second valve being maintainedonits seat in any and all movements ofthe valve stem, the pressure of the second valve :on its seat beingdecreased as the rigid valve opens and increased as the rigid valvecloses.

10. In a diving suit, an air escape means including a rigid valve, aseat with which the valve cooperates, a second valve, a seat with whichthe second valve cooperates, a single valve stem carrying both valves,said second valve being maintained on its seat except under excessivepressure on the suit in any and all movements of the valve stem, thepressure of the second valve on its seat being decreased as the rigidvalve opens and increased as the rigid valve closes, and means withinthe suitfor controlling the position of the stem and rigid valverelative to the rigid valve seat without positively opening the secondvalve.

ERNST ToPPER.

